Nissan Announces Fully-Electric Leaf Vehicle for 2011

Nissan recently unveiled an all-electric vehicle that stands to break ground as the company’s opening foray into the EV fray. Rather than aiming to create a high-end supercar, Nissan has decided to target an altogether different market. Enter the Nissan Leaf, an economical fully-electric vehicle designed with the family in mind.

The Leaf is Nissan’s big attempt to break through with a green vehicle of its own, and we must admit that it certainly looks ready to carve out its own market. It has everything you’d expect to find in an electric vehicle: regenerative breaking, laminated lithium-ion battery packs, and it comes equiped with an electric drive train as opposed to in-wheel motors. It has a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour and will take you roughly on 100 miles with one charge.

The Leaf is not the only thing that Nissan is working on. As part of their strategy to deliver on the promise of electric vehicles, Nissan is partnering with a number of different organizations to create an electric charging network.

However what really caught our eye is Nissan’s intention to deliver a fully-electric family car within the price range of a compact vehicle. Having looked at a fair number of electric vehicles, most tend to highlight their performance, range, looks and green credentials. By contrast Nissan’s website takes a practical approach towards the family market with its tagline: “5 passengers, 5 doors”. The Leaf will be released on 2011.